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TheNATO Liaison Office in the Republic of Moldova announces the launch of the second edition of the national essay contest dedicated to undergraduate and master’s students from the country. The initiative offers young people interested in international relations and security the opportunity to express their vision of Moldova’s role in the context of cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance. The top five participants will be rewarded with a fully sponsored visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels, where they will interact with experts and discover from the inside how one of the most influential international organizations works.

The theme of this year’s edition is “Resilience beyond just a buzzword – why is it important for Moldova’s future and how can NATO better support the country’s efforts?”. The main aim of the competition is to stimulate young people’s critical thinking and interest in national security, civilian preparedness and international cooperation.

The participants are invited to analyze the concept of resilience, assess its importance for Moldovan society and propose concrete solutions through which NATO could support the strengthening of national capabilities. The initiative is in the context of the new NATO-Republic of Moldova Individual Partnership Program 2025-2028, which includes objectives related to strengthening resilience and civil response capabilities.

Conditions for participation:

To apply, you must fulfill the following criteria:

– Be a citizen of the Republic of Moldova;

– be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program at a university in the country;

– submit one original essay, written in English or French;

– be between 2,000 and 2,500 words in Times New Roman, Microsoft Word.

The first page must contain:

– author’s first and last name

– date of birth;

– university, faculty and year of study.

The document should be named according to the model “NLO_eseu_competition_name_name” and sent to the e-mail address office@nlo-moldova.hq.nato.int.

The competition was launched on October 6, 2025, and the deadline for submission is December 10, 2025, 00:00 EET. The results will be announced on January 12, 2026, on the Facebook page of the NATO Office in the Republic of Moldova and by e-mail.

Essays must be original and creative, and quotations may not exceed 20% of the text and must be correctly cited. Any attempt of plagiarism or use of artificial intelligence will lead to automatic disqualification of the participant, the essays will be checked with specialized software.

Through this initiative, NATO aims to encourage the involvement of young people in the process of reflecting on Moldova’s future and the role the country can play in the European security architecture. The contest is not only an academic competition, but also a training opportunity for young people who wish to build a career in the field of foreign policy and international security.

The full competition rules can be found here.

If you are a student and you want to contribute to strengthening Moldova’s resilience, submit your essay and take the first step towards an outstanding academic and professional experience.